Post by Alison Marks

Most likely, there are ways that your work environment makes you have to work harder than you need to. Try these ideas to turn your work space into a powerful tool to support you and your productivity:

Fresh Eyes. Come in from outside with “fresh eyes,” as though you were visiting for the first time. What do you notice? How do you feel? What can you tell about the person or people who work here?

Declutter. The #1 most powerful tool for creating a supportive space! Give your eye fewer things to look at. This brings clarity, helping you to really appreciate and utilize what’s there.

Yin/Yang Balance. Yang is active and energetic – bright colors, movement, electronics, loud music or noises. Yin is soft, calming and restful – pastels, soft light, textiles. Give yourself enough yang to keep you motivated, enough yin to feel nurtured.

5 Senses. There’s no reason not to bring pleasure to work. What delights your senses? Sometimes one small change can make a huge difference. Some ideas to try: use aromatherapy, add a soft rug, bring in a fountain, or play soft music.

Making some of the changes suggested here will bring satisfaction and flow into your day. Good luck!

Alison Marks helps busy women create sanctuaries in their homes and peace of mind in their workplaces. She is a San Francisco-based design coach, Certified Feng Shui Consultant and professional organizer. For more information and articles, visit her at InsideOutDesignCoaching.com.

In what ways does your work space support you and not? What’s one small (or large) change you will make?

Post from: My Organized Biz

Mother’s Day is this Sunday.

So, this got me wondering about what it’s like to have kids at home. What are the greatest challenges for you running a business there? What are your tiny peeves? What are the benefits?

Inquiring minds (mine) want to know!

Post from: My Organized Biz

Move your chair - If you’re seated, you might be likely to check email or get distracted. So move your chair away from your desk. Stand in front of your desk and give yourself a big picture view.

Set?

Get a timer – Whether it’s lemon-shaped or on your phone, set it for 15 minutes.

Go!

Rev your engine and start moving. Only pick up one thing at a time and then make a decision about where it should go – recycling, garbage, files, mail, etc.

• Toss (recycle) anything you haven’t looked at in over a month and/or “might need someday”. Chances are good you can find it online. So let it go.
• Put like things together. Just make a small pile until you decide where they should go. A client of mine found she had 6 separate peices of paper with leads she wanted to follow up on. Putting them together helped her figure out what to with them next.
• If something only takes a few minutes to complete (like putting a date in your calendar), do it while you’re cleaning so you don’t have to pick it up again later.

Stop when the timer goes off – and you’ll have a neater desk at the end. If you want to keep working, go for it, but I recommend giving yourself a break (and a pat on the back). You can plan another 15 minutes later on.

C’mon, you’re just perusing the internet right now. You’ve got 15 minutes, don’t you? Go ahead – stand up and push your chair back. It’s not so hard – and you’ll feel sooo much better when you’re done.

Post from: My Organized Biz

This Valentine’s Day, put on this crooner and take some time to show your office how much you care with these 10 little things.

Clean your windows – Even if you have a cleaning service, completing this oft-neglected task can bring more sunshine into your life. A little spritz of water and a soft rag will do the trick.

Dust - In fung shui, dust represents dead energy. With rag in hand, give your office an invigorating feeling with some fresh energy (not to mention a little cardio for you!).

Vacuum - Think of the billions of particles on your floor that will be whisked away in just a few short minutes.

Put on some tunes – Artists get a lot of their creativity by listening to music they like. Whether it’s smooth or rockin’, music at the right moments will energize you at work.

Buy flowers – Get some lovely cut stems and put them in a simple vase of water – you’ll be delighted with how you feel looking at them.

Write a note – Write yourself a note of inspiration while you’re in the mood and post it on FutureMe.org. They’ll send it back to you a year later like a message in a bottle.

Take out your trash/recycling – When you let it pile up, it can drag you down. Take a moment to put your refuse where it belongs so it can move along.

Hang up something you love to look at - Have a favorite photo of your pet or your family vacation? Go dig it out and place it somewhere you’ll see it.

Defrag your hard drive – Before you go out for the evening, set up your hard drive to refragment. You know you’ve been meaning to.

Give it a rest – Now, go spend some time doing something besides work – you both would benefit from some time off.

Happy Valentine’s Day – thanks for reading!

Post from: My Organized Biz